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UW Students Take on Cyber Security Challenge

May 11, 2012 — A team of University of Wyoming students knows what it takes
to thwart cyber attacks targeting the United States.

Eight UW students won the north-central regional competition
to earn the opportunity to compete in the recent National Collegiate Cyber
Defense Competition (NCCDC) held at San Antonio, Texas.

The NCCDC pits teams of college students against one another
in an environment where cyber security skills are pushed to the limit, says UW
coach Jim Ward, a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science. He says the competition
is modeled from real-world scenarios and obstacles.

"Each team was required to correct problems on their
network, perform typical business tasks, and defend their networks from a red
team that generated live, hostile activity throughout the competition," Ward
says.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano recently
announced that the United States faces thousands of cyber attacks every 45
minutes. In line with the nation's commitment to cyber defense, Secretary of Defense
Leon Panetta announced in his 10-year budget forecast that cyber security is
one of a few select areas that will receive additional investment and
resources, even as the Department of Defense readies to scale back $487 billion
in spending in other areas.

"The national event serves as an additional training ground
for future cyber defenders," Ward says. "It
also provides the best and brightest collegiate students an opportunity to
shine on a national stage and connect with the top cyber security firms in the
country."

Members of the UW CCDC team that competed in the national
event were:

Cheyenne -- Paul Ogle and Eric Richardson.

Centennial, Colo. -- Nate Wermers.

Dallas, Ore. -- Alex Wellock.

Douglas -- Nick Anderson.

Gillette -- Jay Wuensch.

Guernsey -- Dietrich Wambach, team captain.

Jackson -- Dustin Brown.

Photo (top):UW students push their computer skills to the limit in the
National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. From left are Alex Wellock, Dallas,
Ore.; Paul Ogle, Cheyenne; Dietrich Wambach, Guernsey; and Jay Wuensch,
Gillette.